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In a spare urban fable, Bob Graham brings us one small boy, one loving family, and one miraculous story of hope and healing.

"No one saw the bird fall."

In a city full of hurried people, only young Will notices the bird lying hurt on the ground. With the help of his sympathetic mother, he gently wraps the injured bird and takes it home. In classic Bob Graham style, the beauty is in the details: the careful ministrations with an eyedropper, the bedroom filled with animal memorabilia, the saving of the single feather as a good-luck charm for the bird's return to the sky. Wistful and uplifting, here is a tale of possibility — and of the souls who never doubt its power.

*Starred Review* Quietly, effectively, Graham tells the simple story of a boy who finds a fallen bird and nurses it back to health. The text is minimal. In a busy city, “No one saw the bird fall.” But a little boy walking with his mother spies the injured bird and brings it home. Up until this point, the art has effectively utilized the oversize format, filling it with full-page pictures, vertical and horizontal strips, and cartoon-style boxes in cloudy hues. At the moment the boy lifts the bird, Graham slows the story and offers a two-page spread full of bright, hopeful colors and an intense focus on the boy with the bird in hand. Turn the page and both mood and perspective change once more. Now the pages are full of people, walking, biking, rushing, while in an upper corner of the spread, encircled in a glow, readers find boy and bird; the unspoken, unwritten message is clear. Who cares in such a large place if a small pigeon falls? One child does. Although the rest of the story is a little anticlimactic, there is a satisfying reality to it as the bird is bandaged, heals, and is set free. Because this is such a visual piece, however, readers, young and old, will return to the story to look more deeply; they won’t be disappointed. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper

Top customer reviews

I am an elementary school teacher with a Master's Degree in literacy. I cannot say enough about this book. Through minimal words and many pictures, this book teaches kindness and how anyone can make a difference. This book is excellent for teaching comprehension to primary students and can be used for writing: What words would you use for this series of pictures? It is also great for sequencing events or pure enjoyment. This is one of my favorite books.

I fell in love with this story the first time I read it. After many readings to my young students, this book still creates feelings of emotional attachment and caring for these amazing birds that share our city with us. I live in Queens and the wonderful illustrations of the city, especially lower Manhattan, make the setting of this book very personal. Pigeons are everywhere, but humans hardly notice them, because the species has adapted so well to our urban environment. I want all the children to whom I read this book to identify with the little boy and the pigeon. I hope that the message to all of us is that caring for the natural world surrounding us is essential to our humanity and survival. A great story for Earth Day or any day.

This was a great story with a nice theme about caring for God's creatures - I purchased this to read to my 3rd grade catechism class - it was a bit hard reading to a large group - it loses a bit of it's meaning if everyone can't see the illustrations.- the art uses gray and dark tones too highlight the important parts - probably a better story to read one on one - if reading to a class be prepared to describe the pages.